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Prigozhin's exact whereabouts remain unknown after insurrection

29 June 2023 15:36 (UTC +04:00)

Questions are still swirling around the future of Yevgeny Prigozhin following his short-lived insurrection on Saturday, APA reports citing CNN.

The owner of the Wagner private military group has not been seen in public since late on Saturday night. He released an audio message on Monday, but has not appeared in any videos or photos that would confirm his whereabouts.

According to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Wagner chief arrived in Belarus Tuesday. Satellite imagery showed two planes linked to Prigozhin landed at an airbase outside the country’s capital.

Lukashenko said he brokered a deal that allowed Prigozhin to go to Belarus without facing criminal charges in Russia, but details of this deal remain scarce.

Some background: Prigozhin, a former ally of Putin, made his millions the founder and bombastic leader of Russia’s private military group Wagner.

The Wagner chief became a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the moniker “Putin’s chef.”

Once a shadowy figure, he rose to prominence as the founder of Russia’s private military group Wagner which has played a key role in multiple battles in Russia's war on Ukraine.